Quest of the Jewel Pendant
by LuckyLadybug
Summary: Nack the Weasel travels to the mystical land of Moghur with four others to stop the reign of terror! COMPLETE I've worked really hard on this, and I would LUV kind reviews! Please? Pretty please? puppy dog eyes
1. Part One: The Beginning

Sonic the Hedgehog  
Quest of the Jewel Pendant  
By Lucky_Ladybug  
  
  
Disclaimer: As always, Nack and Nic are Sega's (or is Nic Archie Comics'?) Nova is Diane Olexa's. Dr. Peggy Fowler belongs to unknown (Peter O'Fallon?) "I Will Remember You" sung by Sarah McLachlan, is copyright?? Everything and everyone else (including the story idea!) are mine, though I borrowed most of the fantasy-type names from various sources, and of course Merlin isn't mine!! ;)  
  
  
The Legend of the Enchanted Talisman of Geates  
  
Long ago in England there lived two sorcerers. One, a kind man named Geates, had created a talisman from the most exquisite crystal and planned to give it to his betrothed, the love of his life—Lady Melinda. Before he could however, the other sorcerer, a wicked man named Fafnir who had always had an eye for Lady Melinda himself, ran off with her, stealing the talisman and giving it to her himself. Betrayed by both his beloved and his friend, Geates, hurt and enraged, and now believing that everyone in the world was cruel, cast a spell on the talisman. The spell would bring destruction and damage to everyone it came in contact with. When Fafnir found out, he modified the spell so that the talisman would adhere to the current owner's wishes, and bring destruction and damage on the owner's rivals and on anyone else the owner wanted. Eventually Fafnir, Lady Melinda, and Geates all died, but the enchanted talisman remained, turning up every once in a while in the possession of the latest generations of evil sorcerers and sorceresses, but then disappearing back into oblivion again. Now a new reign of terror has begun, and only the most courageous, brave, and selfless individual can bring it to a halt by destroying Geates' talisman for good.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**Part One**  
The Beginning  
  
  
Nack winced as he watched the late night news. Yet another strange phenomena had occurred: This time a tornado had plowed right through downtown Denver, leaving a trail of pandemonium in its wake.  
  
Lately, things like that had become commonplace all over the globe, and no one could figure out what was causing it. The Tower of Pisa seemed to be leaning more than usual. Paris had had an earthquake. Perhaps strangest of all, a waterspout had touched down in Utah, visiting all the lakes and rivers.  
  
Also sighted were odd creatures that certainly seemed to have something against the other inhabitants of Earth. Reports had come through of giant trolls (not the cute kind) especially, attacking people and buildings.  
  
"It's a strange world we live in," Nack muttered, flipping the TV off. He'd had enough of tornados and waterspouts where they weren't supposed to be.  
****  
On nights when Nack wasn't involved in a case, he sometimes liked to prowl around whatever city he was near and see if there was anything interesting going on. This was one such night.  
  
The city of San Francisco was unusually quiet tonight, and the infamous fog drifted over the housetops and through the streets.  
  
Suddenly Nack heard a strange sound coming from behind a building. Stun gun held high, he cautiously peered around the corner . . . and gasped. He rubbed at his eyes and looked again . . . and it was gone. "All that Tom Foolery on the news must be gettin' to me," he muttered. He had thought he'd seen a monstrous, sickly-green-skinned creature, but it wasn't there now.  
  
Instead, Nack became aware of another sound, mournful-like. He looked around, finally deciding it was coming from somewhere a couple of blocks over. How the sound could carry that far, Nack had no idea, but it wasn't any stranger than anything else that had gone on.  
  
Nack didn't know what he expected to see when he ventured down into the alleyway, but it certainly wasn't Rocky McCallon sprawled on the ground while Andre DuBois wailed away.  
  
"Now, look here . . ." Nack began. Andre looked up, pink eyes wide with fright. "What happened?"  
  
"Rocky got thrashed!" Andre gasped.  
  
"I can see that," Nack replied impatiently, a cold shiver running down his spine. If something could thrash Rocky McCallon and get away with it, it'd have to have been something very dangerous, Nack knew. Even he had lost to Rocky at times, and he was quite a fighter himself.  
  
Andre shook his head. "It . . . it was *horrible!* It must've been nine, ten feet tall!!"  
  
"WHAT was, Andre??" Nack demanded.  
  
"It . . . it just CAME at him, lunged at him, and Rocky growled and jumped in for the fight like he always does. But this time . . ." Andre heaved a sob. "This time he didn't come out so well!"  
  
"C'mon, Andre, WHAT came at him??" Nack nearly felt like yelling, but he tried to keep his temper in check. Andre loved Rocky like a brother, Nack knew, and was probably worried half to death about the old rascal.  
  
"The *thing!*" Andre burst out. He shook his head. "I don't know what it was, really, but it was awful!! It just clawed at Rocky and threw him at the wall, and beat him . . ." Andre trailed off. "Rocky managed to get a couple of good hits with his mace, but it didn't faze the thing for more than a few seconds. I've never heard Rocky scream so pitifully before," he added softly.  
  
Nack stepped closer. "How is he?" he asked. He could see Rocky's left ear had been mangled even more, he had gashes on his right shoulder and on his chest, and his eyepatch had nearly been pulled off, though it still concealed most of whatever it had been hiding.  
  
Andre wrung his hands. "I think he's still alive . . . I *hope* he's still alive . . .!"  
  
Nack kneeled down next to his bad boy cousin and checked for a pulse. "He's alive, alright," he said.  
  
Rocky's left eye flew open. Focusing on Nack, he growled low. "What are you doing, cousin?" He spat out the last word with contempt.  
  
"Making sure you're still with the living," Nack replied.  
  
Rocky struggled to stand but fell back down. He growled in pain.  
  
"Rocky, you're hurt!" Andre exclaimed.  
  
"I'm just . . . fine," Rocky replied in the low voice he used when he was trying not to blow up. He accidentally bumped his left ear, which was red, sore, and bleeding where the whatever had taken another chomp out of it. He gritted his teeth, trying not to scream out.  
  
Andre reached to help him up and Rocky didn't resist. Bad sign, Nack thought grimly. Rocky was fiercely independent. If he would actually accept help from anyone, it meant he was probably hurt very badly. And, as Nack had thought moments before, if anything could hurt Rocky McCallon that bad, then that meant everyone was in trouble.  
  
"Get me outta here, Andre," Rocky growled, glaring at Nack as though he were responsible in some way.  
  
Undaunted, Nack trailed along after them. "I know I'm the last guy you want to talk to now, Rocky . . ."  
  
"That's always the way it is," Rocky spat out. "I don't want to talk to you any more now than I did the last time we met."  
  
Nack shrugged. "Fine. Just . . . tell me about what attacked you," he requested.  
  
Rocky snarled. Underneath all that anger, Nack figured his cousin was really quite embarrassed about the whole thing.  
  
"If you tell me, I'll go away," Nack persisted.  
  
That made Rocky's lips pull back in a nasty grin. "Alright, cousin. I'll tell you. It was ten feet tall, with sickly green skin, yellow teeth, and reddish hair that looked as though it had never been cut or combed."  
  
"And claws!" Andre broke in. "Long, sharp claws!"  
  
Rocky glared at his mechanic.  
  
Nack nodded. The claws would've had to have been razor sharp to catch Rocky offguard long enough to rake through his fur and flesh . . . twice.  
  
"It was also wearing clothes made out of some kind of animal fur," Rocky continued, growling again. He picked up his mace, wincing at the pain and trying not to gasp. "That's all I can tell you, cousin."  
  
Nack's expression changed suddenly. He hadn't been seeing things. Rocky's description matched that of the critter Nack had seen right before finding his bad boy cousin and Andre.  
  
"Let's go, Andre," Rocky said, using his low tone again. They headed off, Rocky being supported by Andre. Nack noticed Rocky had a slight limp. That cousin of mine is more beat-up than heck, he thought to himself. He shook his head. A few more scars to add to his already vast collection.  
****  
Two weeks passed. More strange things happened. Perhaps one of the strangest was that while businessmen all across the nation were being attacked and their businesses strangely gong bankrupt, one Monsieur Jacques Boyer and his business hadn't been touched at all.  
  
"It don't add up at all," Nack muttered. "Could Boyer be the one behind everything?"  
  
But then that didn't make sense either. Boyer would not be capable of unleashing something like a nine-foot critter from a horror flick on the city . . . and certainly not several hundred of them all over the globe.  
  
Nack set the newspaper down and sighed. Things were getting too weird for his tastes.  
  
"And they're about to get even weirder!" an obnoxious little voice in his head proclaimed.  
  
Before Nack could reply to that very strange thing, the Portland Oregon hotel room where he was staying started to rock back and forth. Nack grabbed the couch leg and held on for dear life.  
  
"What the heck??!! The room is buckin' like a wild bronco!" he gasped.  
  
The couch suddenly flew up in the air and nearly crashed down on the hapless weasel, but he was able to scramble away in time and he watched in disbelief as the furniture piece fell back to the floor harmlessly. The room continued to shake for several minutes, sending Nack from one end to the other, but finally stopped.  
  
Nack had slammed against the wall and was laying at the bottom almost upsidedown, dazed, the room spinning in circles. Then his hat fell over his eyes and he flopped over on the floor, where he remained while he collected his wits.  
  
Finally he picked himself up and staggered to the phone, where he called the desk clerk. "What happened?" he demanded.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir, I don't know what you mean," the desk clerk replied, confused. "What happened about *what??!*"  
  
Nack looked at the phone in disbelief. "What happened?" he repeated. "What happened? My room has been doing the hula-hula like crazy, that's what happened!! And I wanna know WHY!"  
  
There was a long pause, then finally the desk clerk said, "Sir, it sounds as though that was some party you attended last night."  
  
Nack bristled. "I don't drink!" he yelled into the phone. "Or do drugs!" he added.  
  
"Oh." The desk clerk paused again. "Perhaps you would like to have a meeting with um, Dr. Fowler then . . ."  
  
"A psychiatrist?" Nack gasped. He had heard of Dr. Peggy Fowler, one of the best psychiatrists in the Portland area. "Not on your life! I'm not crazy!!" He slammed the phone down, not bothering to hear the desk clerk's reply to that.  
  
He righted the couch and plopped down on it, rubbing his temples. It had really happened! It had! But how?? And . . . why??  
  
"I told you things were going to get weirder."  
  
Nack leaped up, looking around wildly. It was that same durn voice, only now it wasn't in his head—it was in the room somewhere!!  
  
He didn't have far to look. Perched up on the end table was a little man about three feet tall with a long white beard and twinkling green eyes. A tall hat decorated with stars and moons was placed on his head. It swayed precariously, looking as though it would fall over his eyes any minute.  
  
"Who are you, what are you, why are you in my room, and how did you get in???" Nack demanded, stomping over to stand in front of him.  
  
"My name is Azhi Dahaka and I'm a gnome," the little man replied, the mischievous grin never leaving his face. "And you should get very scaredy, because things are gonna get very hairy!"  
  
Nack leaned on the end table, bringing himself down to the little man's eye level. "What in the heck are you talkin' about??"  
  
"Old Geates magic is loose again!" Azhi cackled.  
  
"Geates?" Nack repeated. "Stop talkin' in short sentences and give me some real answers!!" He glared at the gnome.  
  
"You are a testy one," Azhi replied but seemed unfazed. He pulled a piece of parchment out of his robe, also studded with stars and moons. "Here."  
  
Nack took the parchment. "The Legend of the Enchanted Talisman of Geates," it said at the top. He read quickly, his expression darkening with each new sentence. When he was done, he let the parchment roll back up as it had originally been. "What is this Tom Foolery?" he demanded, waving it around.  
  
"Ahh, not 'Tom Foolery,' O Testy One," Azhi said knowingly, taking the parchment from Nack and replacing it in the folds of his robe. "Very real!" He paused. "Know magic exists, you do," he proclaimed. "Your Aunt Lucretia dabbles in it . . ."  
  
"Don't ever call her my 'aunt'!" Nack rumbled. "She nearly killed me—on purpose! And she would've finished the job, too, if she'd had the chance." Now he paused. "But it says that thing is a legend. That means it might be true, and then again, it might not be."  
  
"Oh, it is true, most assuredly, O Testy One," Azhi said.  
  
Nack glared but said nothing. Suddenly he exclaimed, "Wait a minute! How did you know my room was gonna shake??! You didn't have somethin' to do with it, did you??"  
  
Azhi shook his head, his long beard waving and his tall hat swaying. It was a comical sight, but Nack was too upset to see the humor. "Saw into the future, I did!"  
  
"Well, then, mebbe you can just tell me who's responsible while you're at it," Nack said, drumming his fingers on the tabletop.  
  
Azhi again moved his head from side to side. "So sorry, O Testy One, I cannot do. That is something you must find out for yourself."  
  
"And just how the heck am I gonna do that?" Nack didn't know whether to be annoyed, concerned, or both.  
  
"There is always the Quest," Azhi replied mysteriously.  
  
"Huh?? Wha . . .?? Quest??" Nack was about to demand of Azhi to reveal more, but the gnome vanished into thin air.  
  
Nack groaned, plopping back on the couch. The Quest? What was it the parchment had said . . . Oh yeah: "Now a new reign of terror has begun, and only the most courageous, brave, and selfless individual can bring it to a halt by destroying Geates' talisman for good." Hmmm . . . That made sense—weird phenomena happening where they normally wouldn't or couldn't, giant troll-like critters running around attacking people . . . it sounded like a reign of terror, alright. . . . But who had unleashed it this time??  
  
And then there was the "most courageous, brave, and selfless individual" part—the Quest. Nack had to laugh at that. At least at the thought of it being in reference to himself.  
****  
Nack tried to sleep that night, but it was impossible. He kept tossing and turning, thinking about the rocking room and the mysterious, annoying Azhi Dahaka. Finally, around two in the morning, he got up, muttering to himself. He went downstairs, told the desk clerk he'd be back soon, and went out for a walk in the cool Pacific Northwest air.  
  
He hadn't gone more than half a block when he heard the sounds of fighting, and a familiar voice.  
  
"Now take that!! And that!!"  
  
Nack surveyed the almost-empty parking lot of a bank, where Rocky McCallon was beating what looked like a Red Radish. The latter, finally deciding he had had enough and that he couldn't fight Rocky, whimpered and ran off, hoping Rocky wouldn't follow.  
  
He didn't. "Go on, run, you coward!" he yelled. "Go on and run away! See how long *you* survive in the gang!" He turned around, noticing Nack. "What're you doing, cousin?!" he growled.  
  
"Little tiff?" Nack asked, not answering the question.  
  
"That happened to be one of the wicked creeps that tried to murder Andre a couple of months ago," Rocky hissed.  
  
Nack took a good look at his battered cousin. He hadn't seen Rocky since the incident with what must've been one of the trolls. Rocky still wore bandages on his right shoulder and his chest, and Nack could see red through the white gauze on his cousin's shoulder, indicating that the wounds, and that one especially, had been particularly vicious. Rocky's left ear was tattered even more so than before, with three or four pieces missing now. His gold earring still hung from what remained.  
  
Rocky caught Nack staring and glared. "Confounded beast," he snarled, referring to the troll. He shrugged. "But my wounds will heal in time. Though this one will probably leave a scar." He indicated his shoulder. Suddenly realizing something, he advanced on Nack, who noticed that Rocky was still limping. "And just what are you doing, cousin?" he demanded again. "Spying on me??"  
  
Nack stood his ground. "I was out for a walk," he replied.  
  
"And you just *happened* to be where I happened to be?" Rocky growled.  
  
"You have a problem with that?" Nack folded his arms, looking blase.  
  
Rocky backed off, looking thoughtful. "You've changed since we were kids, cousin. You're bolder, less afraid."  
  
"I was always bold around you, Rocky, only when we were kids, you used to punch my lights out regularly!" Nack said, blinking his blue eyes at Rocky. "You can't do that anymore . . . at least not without a fight!"  
  
Rocky mumbled something Nack couldn't catch and then said louder, "I can see that." His expression darkened again. "But that doesn't mean I'm not gonna be threatening. It doesn't mean I'm not really mad, either."  
  
Nack didn't looked impressed. "I expect that from you, Rocky."  
  
"I'm actually very mad," Rocky said low. "Because I don't know but what you *were* spying on me! And I don't like being spied on!" He waved his mace warningly, as if he were about to attack.  
  
Nack never did find out whether Rocky was going to charge at him or not, because Angel came along just then.  
  
"Rocky, baby," she cooed, wrapping her arms around him.  
  
Instantly Rocky softened. "Hey, Angel," he said, looking over at her.  
  
"You're hurt," she commented, lightly touching what remained of his left ear, which was bleeding again.  
  
"It's nothing . . . just a bite from a Red Radish idiot. . . . I showed him that he couldn't get away with it . . . or with attempting to kill Andre," Rocky returned.  
  
Angel gasped. "He was one of the ones who . . ."  
  
"That's right," Rocky growled.  
  
"What's Nackie doing here?" Angel asked disapprovingly, speaking as though Nack *wasn't* there.  
  
"He was just leaving . . . unless he wants to get thrashed." Rocky's left eye narrowed. "Isn't that right, cousin?"  
  
Nack shrugged. "Have it your way, Rocky. But I'm only leaving because I don't have anything more to ask you . . . right now."  
  
Nack tried to leave—he really did. Unfortunately, Mother Earth (or whatever was causing the freak accidents) had other plans. The entire parking lot started to shake.  
  
Angel grabbed Rocky. "What's happening?" she gasped.  
  
Rocky tried to steady himself, but fell over, sending both himself and Angel to the asphalt. "I don't know, but I sure as heck don't like it!" he snarled.  
  
Nack was having a hard time staying upright himself. "It's like an earthquake, only . . ." He shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. What he'd seen was still there. "Only the parking lot is the only thing shaking!" he exclaimed.  
  
"What??!" Rocky and Angel yelled in unison. "Are you out of your skull, cousin??" Rocky added.  
  
"You can look for yourself," Nack replied, pointing with his forefinger before collapsing to the ground as well.  
  
The shaking continued for what seemed like ages. Suddenly Rocky looked up cautiously. "It's stopped," he announced. "Are you alright, Angel?"  
  
Angel nodded, looking unnerved.  
  
Rocky turned to look at Nack, and glowered. His cousin was sprawled facedown on the asphalt. "Get up, will you! Just . . . go away and leave us alone!!"  
  
Nack struggled to get up. "Rocky, aren't you just the least bit curious as to why an earthquake would only shake up the parking lot where we are?"  
  
Rocky just growled.  
****  
Nack browsed through the large, two-floor Barnes and Noble store, searching for some solid proof that Azhi Dahaka hadn't just made up the Jewel Pendant story as a joke and that it really was a famous legend. One thing was certain—before Azhi Dahaka so suddenly popped into his life, Nack had never heard of such a thing before.  
  
Nack was also looking for a book on strange natural phenomena. He didn't *really* believe that old legend and he was still hoping that perhaps the odd things were just freaks of nature.  
  
Except for the trolls. Nack knew he could never explain those, unless . . . unless . . .  
  
"Hello. Can I help you?" Nack turned to find a friendly-looking female clerk watching him.  
  
"Perhaps so, ma'am," Nack replied. "Do you have any books on myths and legends?"  
  
"Oh yes," the clerk said. "We have several wonderful selections in that category, right over here." She started walking and Nack trailed behind, following her several aisles away. "Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with."  
  
"Thank you, ma'am," Nack said, pulling a thick book off the shelf. "Legends from England," he read.  
  
He set the book on a nearby table and sat down to investigate. He read through page after page of strange and unsettling legends that the book insisted were "true blue, through and through."  
  
Then, towards the end of the book, he found it: "The Legend of the Enchanted Talisman of Geates," he read in surprise. The legend therein was slightly different than the version Azhi Dahaka had given him to read, but still basically the same. This version mentioned something else enchanted called "The Mirror of Fafnir" and also said that Geates had created many other enchanted and dangerous things before his death, all of which were roaming free somewhere on the globe.  
  
"Oh brother," Nack muttered to himself. Supposing all this really *was* true and not just a legend? He had briefly considered the possibility after Azhi Dahaka's visit, but wondered if the mischievous gnome was just teasing. Maybe he'd even imagined the whole thing. Yeah, that was it. He'd knocked himself unconscious when his room had rocked and Azhi hadn't really been there . . .  
  
But *why* had his room shaken? Nack groaned. As much as he hated to admit it, the legend was the most sensible explanation for everything right now.  
  
He shut the book and put it back on the shelf. When he turned back around, he discovered Azhi Dahaka looking at him, grinning mischievously.  
  
"You!" Nack exclaimed.  
  
"Oh yes," Azhi said with glee. "It is me! You have been reading about Geates' talisman, no?"  
  
"And how would you know that?" Nack demanded. "You weren't here a minute ago!"  
  
"I wasn't?" Azhi gave Nack a searching look. "And who's to say but that I wasn't invisible?"  
  
Nack sighed. Gnomes *were* known to have a few magic powers. "Alright, you win."  
  
"More willing to believe it now, are you?" Azhi asked.  
  
"I don't know what to believe," Nack returned.  
  
"You know, there is more to yourself than even you know," Azhi said mysteriously.  
  
Nack fixed the little man with an odd look. "And what's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"It means that you are much more noble and selfless than anyone, even you yourself, can know," Azhi replied. "You are capable of accepting the Quest."  
  
"And what would be in it for me?"  
  
Azhi wagged his forefinger at him. "Ahh, there you go again, my friend."  
  
Nack sighed. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."  
  
"Then you would just let your heart lead you," Azhi said simply, suddenly vanishing. Nack was left alone to puzzle over his latest conversation with the gnome.  
****  
Two more weeks passed, and things only got worse. And Nack seemed to be being targeted now as well. If there had been any doubt in his mind before that he was marked for trouble, there wasn't any after he nearly got run down twice, nearly fell off a building frame when the whole thing tipped forward (then returned to normal when Nack climbed down), and had got whacked with a stray sink faucet that came out of nowhere.  
  
It didn't improve his mood any when he found out that Nic had been hired to retrieve the Mirror of Fafnir.  
  
"What?" he gasped to Nova, who had relayed the news. "Now, hold on a minute! You're joking, aren't you?"  
  
Nova shook her head. "No way. Me and Nic are workin' together on the case. In fact . . ." She grinned. "We have procured the object."  
  
Nack's mouth dropped open. "Of all the . . . Where the heck did you find it??" he demanded.  
  
"In a junk shop in jolly old England," Nova responded. "But our employer lives here in the States, so we had to bring it all the way back. We're hiding it in a warehouse down near the docks." She paused. "Would you like to see it?"  
  
"How do you even know I'm interested in it?" Nack shot back.  
  
"I just do. Of course, I don't believe all that garbage about it being enchanted or whatever." Nova shrugged.  
  
Nack's voice was rising. "Who the heck would hire you to get the Mirror of Fafnir?" he burst out. "Most critters don't even know about it!"  
  
"We don't know, and we don't care," Nova said. "We just want to get paid. As long as he/she pays us, we don't have a problem."  
  
"Normally that's how I feel too," Nack replied, "but for cryin' out loud, you don't know what you're doing!!"  
  
"What's up with you lately?" Nova asked. "You act like you believe all this supernatural nonsense! I thought you were more level-headed than that."  
  
They were walking as they talked, and before long, they were in front of an old abandoned warehouse. Nova opened the door.  
  
Nack wasn't exactly sure how to answer Nova's question. Finally he said simply, "I know the supernatural exists. Maybe this nutty old story about the mirror isn't that far-fetched."  
  
Nova rolled her eyes, leading Nack to the back of the warehouse, where a cracked mirror was hanging on the wall. It was rimmed in gold, but didn't seem to have the luster it did when Fafnir (or whoever) first made it.  
  
"See? Just a regular mirror."  
  
"A regular *cracked* mirror," Nack replied. "Now why would your employer want a beat-up old thing like this? And how do you even know it's the real thing?"  
  
Nova shrugged. "He said that it was one of a kind, and that there was a letter 'F' carved in a very out of the way place. And it was right where he said it would be."  
  
"Yeah . . . an 'F' for Fafnir!" Nack exclaimed.  
  
"Oh yeah, we all know this thing is called the Mirror of Fafnir," Nova agreed. "What we don't know is whether Fafnir was a sorcerer or not."  
  
"Why do you want to take a chance? Something could happen to you before you can even get this durn thing to your employer!" Nack said.  
  
"We brought it all the way from England and nothing happened," Nova said, looking bored. She sighed. "Nic probably won't be happy that I let you see the thing."  
  
"You're right!" A new, but familiar voice joined in. "I'm not happy!"  
  
They both turned to see Nic standing there, arms crossed, glaring at the both of them.  
  
"Oh, come on, Nic, he's your brother," Nova sighed, tired of the sibling rivalry she'd witnessed ever since she and Nic had become best friends.  
  
"Why the heck do I want him to know what I'm up to?" Nic crossed the room, placing herself in front of the Mirror of Fafnir.  
  
"Search me. If you don't care that you're liable to get yourself and Nova into all kinds of trouble, it's none of my business." Nack crossed his own arms, staring defiantly at his sister.  
  
"You know we don't get along famously," Nic complained to Nova. "Why did you let *him* see our merchandise?" Before Nova could reply, Nic rushed right on. "We're just two unfortunate critters who happen to be related. We're not really *brother and sister*!" She said the last statement with scorn dripping, glaring at Nack.  
  
Nack glared back, not wanting to show how deeply Nic's remarks had wounded him.  
  
"And what kinda hocus-pocus do you think is in this thing anyway?" Nic turned to look at the mirror incredulously. "I know about the legend surrounding this thing, but it's all nonsense, of course." She leaned way into the mirror, and suddenly with a scream, was pulled inside it by some unknown but powerful force!  
  
"Holy cow!" Nova gasped. She and Nack ran to look at the mirror, which looked perfectly normal now. "What *was* that?!"  
  
"Are you happy now?" Nack yelled. "The durn thing's enchanted, alright! Your employer probably wants it to wreak havoc on the world—as if there's not been enough havoc already!"  
  
Nova tapped on the glass. "I just don't understand. It's perfectly solid!"  
  
No sooner had she said that then the mystic force took hold of her and yanked her through as well. Her hat remained behind.  
  
Nack stood in shock for several minutes, then picked it up, turning it over and over. "Fools!" he declared. He looked around. He was all alone. "Now what?" he said softly. "What do I do now?"  
  
And the answer came. There was really only one thing to do.  
  
Clutching Nova's hat tightly, Nack took a running leap, calling, "Here goes nothing!" and closing his eyes, crashed into the mirror. Instead of broken glass, though, Nack felt himself falling . . . falling . . . Faster and faster . . . Then the ground suddenly rushed up to meet him.  
And so the Journey begins.  
  
**End of Part One** 


	2. Part Two: The Journey

**Part Two**  
The Journey  
  
  
Nack braced himself for the impact and slammed into the ground, the grass helping a little, but not breaking his fall very much. Stars and moons twirled around in his line of vision, before fading to swirls of colors of all kinds, which then all mixed together and turned black.  
  
He didn't know how long he had been gone, but somewhere through the mists of oblivion he felt someone gently probing through the fur on his throat, then lifting his hat up and touching his forehead. Whoever it is sure has cold hands, Nack thought to himself, struggling to bring himself back to full consciousness.  
  
When he finally had gathered enough strength, he wrenched his eyes open and found himself looking at a very worried . . .  
  
"Andre DuBois!" he gasped, coming up on his hands.  
  
Andre was so startled by Nack's sudden awakening that he leaped up, backing away.  
  
"What the heck were you doing?" Nack demanded.  
  
"I . . . I found you here," Andre stammered, twisting the end of his denim jacket wildly. "You . . . you were just laying so still and everything, and I was afraid that . . . Well . . . That you were dead or something! I . . . I was just . . . just checking for a pulse, and then I worried that maybe you had a . . . a fever or something . . ." He trailed off, looking terrified.  
  
Nack grinned. "So you don't still think I'm a ghost out to haunt you?"  
  
Andre turned crimson. "Well . . . er, I guess I . . . I just figured that a ghost couldn't fall unconscious . . ." He ducked his head, looking embarrassed.  
  
Nack laughed, slowly standing up. "It's alright, Andre." He looked around, suddenly remembering what had happened with the mirror. "How the heck did you get here, anyway?"  
  
Andre shook his head. "I don't know. Rocky's here too. He told me to scout the area."  
  
Nack didn't look pleased. "Rocky's here?" he repeated.  
  
Andre nodded. "He's over there somewhere." He indicated a heavily forested area. "That's where he landed when he fell through that awful mirror. I think he hurt his leg again, but he insisted he was fine and told me to look around."  
  
"You ain't seen a couple of girls around, have you?" Nack asked thoughtfully.  
  
"I saw one. She was green-and-white with long black hair. She was throwing a temper tantrum because she'd fallen in a pond. I don't think she likes getting sopped." Andre looked around nervously. "I was gonna go help her, but she climbed out and seemed okay, just mad. And, well . . . I dunno . . . I've dealt with a lot of anger today. I didn't really feel like dealing with any more. It . . . hasn't been one of Rocky's good days," he said softly.  
  
Nack looked down at the grass and, after a brief search, pulled out a black hat with a green band. Luckily, it seemed to be in pretty good condition. "That was Nova Morgan. I have her hat," Nack said. He paused. "You didn't see my sis . . . er, Nic, did you?" After Nic's biting comments, he couldn't quite bring himself to call her his "sister."  
  
Now Andre paused. "Actually, I think I saw her coming to help the other one calm down."  
  
Nack nodded slowly. So they were both okay. That was good. "How long have you and Rocky been here?" he asked.  
  
Andre twisted his jacket again. "I don't know. . . . Not very long. . . . Maybe a hour or two."  
  
They both looked at their surroundings. For the first time, Nack noticed that the sky was a kind of lavender-orange-red-pink, like a constant sunset. The grass was unusually long, but wasn't very soft, as Nack had discovered firsthand when he had plowed into it.  
  
The trees looked slightly Earth-like, but they seemed exaggerated. Most of them seemed to be pine or fir or evergreen or spruce, but then again, maybe in this place, they were known by different names.  
  
Nack heard a strange animal call that sounded like a cross between a horse and a bird—the kind of bird that had a trilling voice. He looked up and saw a odd but beautiful creature soaring through the sunset-like sky. "What the heck is that?" he exclaimed.  
  
"It looks like a unicorn with wings," Andre observed.  
  
Nack looked again. Andre was right. "Where in the heck are we?" Nack yelled, totally perplexed.  
  
A huge winged creature with dark purple scales and flashing red eyes appeared, scaring the calm unicorn.  
  
"I don't know, but I don't think I like it!" Andre exclaimed.  
  
Nack sighed. "I'm not sure I do, either. It might help my opinion if I knew where we were."  
  
"Why, Moghur, of course!"  
  
Both Nack and Andre whirled around. Sitting on a nearby rock watching them was Azhi Dahaka.  
  
"Moghur?" both weasels repeated. "And what the heck is that?" Nack added.  
  
"It's a little known magic land here in England, which hasn't been seen since the days of Geates and Fafnir," Azhi explained.  
  
"Oh, well, that's just ducky!" Nack burst out. "Stuck in a nonexistent fantasy land!"  
  
"How do we get out?" Andre asked timidly.  
  
Azhi paused. "Ahhh, you ask a hard question, young DuBois."  
  
Andre visibly started. "You know my name?" he gasped.  
  
"Ahhh, yes." Azhi's eyes twinkled mysteriously. "I do."  
  
"Well, how the heck do we get out?" Nack demanded.  
  
"Patience, O Testy One." Azhi wagged his forefinger at Nack. He paused again. "There are many . . . dangers here, and many . . . trials. During the most critical trial—and showdown, you might say—your true colors will be revealed. And we will wait and see what happens." And with that cryptic statement, Azhi was gone, leaving Nack and Andre totally bewildered.  
  
"That was . . . weird," Andre said finally.  
  
Nack groaned. "That's the understatement!"  
  
"What do you suppose he meant?"  
  
"I'm guessin' we're gonna find out!" Nack played with Nova's hat.  
  
"Are you planning to find the Morgan girl and give that back to her?" Andre asked.  
  
Nack sighed. "I guess I should." He didn't mention that he didn't really want to meet up with Nic after what she'd said.  
  
"Andre! What's keeping you?" Rocky's angry voice echoed throughout the area. He limped over to his mechanic, took one look at Nack, and growled, "Oh, I might have known. My cousin followed me here!! What've you been telling him?!?"  
  
"Nothing, Rocky." Andre's voice quavered.  
  
Rocky took a step toward Nack and nearly fell flat on his face. "Whoa, there, cousin," Nack said, holding out his hands to catch him. Rocky's limp is more pronounced now, Nack thought to himself.  
  
Rocky pushed Nack's hands away. "I'm just fine," he said low, his left eye narrowing.  
  
Nack knew better than to push Rocky's buttons, especially when it was "not one of his good days," but still he grinned mischievously, as if he were about to say something.  
  
"Come on, Andre, let's go," Rocky snapped. "I'm more than ready to leave this trap!"  
  
"But, Rocky, some weird guy came and started talking in riddles," Andre protested. "He said we couldn't get out of here until we'd passed through some kind of obstacle course or something." He wasn't exactly sure what Azhi had meant, but he knew obstacles of some kind were involved.  
  
"Well, then for the love of Peter, let's get started!" Rocky yelled. "I don't want to hang around in this dump any longer than I have to!!"  
  
"It's actually kinda nice here. . . ." Andre spoke softly.  
  
Rocky glared. "Nice! You don't know what I've just been through! Stupid dragon tried to make me his dinner!" He waved his mace and nearly fell over backwards.  
  
Andre gasped at the news (and at Rocky's loss of equilibrium), then reached out to steady the other weasel. "Rocky, you *are* hurt!" he exclaimed.  
  
Rocky muttered something Nack couldn't catch, but didn't brush Andre off. Without warning he suddenly went limp in Andre's arms. The extra weight threw Andre, who wasn't known for his strength, for a loop and nearly sent him crashing to the ground, but Nack intervened, grabbing hold of the mechanic before he could fall.  
  
"He fainted!" Andre said in disbelief.  
  
"Come on, let's lay him down on the ground," Nack instructed. "Try to figure out what went wrong."  
  
Gently Andre laid Rocky in the tall grass, looking very concerned. "Rocky! Can you hear me??" The battered weasel didn't answer.  
  
Nack looked at his cousin. The bandages were gone now, but deep scars remained where the troll had raked through Rocky's flesh. Looking thoughtful, he rolled up Rocky's left pant leg. "Ouch," Nack commented. There were fang marks in his leg, probably left by the hungry dragon.  
  
Andre was horrified. "What if the dragon was poisonous?"   
  
"I've never dealt with dragons before, so I wouldn't know," Nack replied, sounding distant. "Maybe he just fainted from the loss of blood."  
  
"Well, that wouldn't be good either!" Andre's voice was climbing in volume.  
  
"Hey, what's going on here?"  
  
Two silhouettes appeared on the scene. Two feminine-looking silhouettes. Nova and Nic stepped out of the shadows.  
  
"Nova!" Nack exclaimed. He nodded to Nic, who only glared back. "I have your hat."  
  
Nova walked over and, taking her hat from Nack, plopped in on her head. "Who's hurt?"  
  
"Rocky!" Andre replied. "He got bit by a dragon!"  
  
"Now that's kinda outta my field of expertise," Nova muttered. "I suppose all we can really do for him is dress his wound . . . unless someone can find a native around here who explain better what to do for dragon bites."  
  
At that instant a strange creature suddenly appeared. She was similar in appearance to a human, only her skin had a lovely light blue hue and her long hair was pink. She wore clothes made of an unusual, glittery substance. Her deep violet eyes bespoke confusion. "Oh dear," she sighed. "I do believe I used the wrong spell."  
  
Everyone turned to stare at her. "Spell?" Nack repeated. "What are you, some kinda sorceress?"  
  
"Only an apprentice one," she replied. "But if I can just stop confusing my 'thithers' with my 'hithers' and my 'abra-cadabras' with my 'hocus pocus alamagoses,' I should be able to become a full-fledged one!"  
  
Nack grinned. "Yer gonna be a good sorceress, ain't you?" he asked, his Texas accent thickening. He had enough of evil sorceresses dealing with his aunt Lucretia.  
  
The creature blushed. "Oh yes. I wouldn't dream of hurting anyone. My name is Typhon." She suddenly saw Rocky's unconscious form and gasped.  
  
"Dragon bite," Nova supplied.  
  
"The poor thing!" Typhon kneeled down next to Rocky and examined the wound. Her long pink hair shielded her face so none of the weasels could tell what she was thinking. Finally she looked up. "Thank the heavens above, this was not inflicted by one of the poisonous species of dragon. He will be alright."  
  
Andre slumped against a rock in relief. Nack found himself not really feeling much—neither relief or uncaring. Somehow, he had known Rocky would pull through somehow whatever the case, and then he'd be out wreaking havoc and beating up on Nack again. It seemed to run in the family—surviving against all the odds. Except for Mama, Nack thought sadly.  
  
"I would try one of my healing spells, but I haven't mastered them yet and I might do some kind of damage," Typhon said apologetically.  
  
"Yeah, don't try!" Andre burst out.  
  
"What are you two rambunctious gangsters doing here, anyway?" Nova demanded, it really dawning on her for the first time that they were in a strange land via the Mirror of Fafnir and suddenly Andre and Rocky had shown up, something that shouldn't have happened. Then again, none of them should be there, she reflected.  
  
"I don't know!" Andre said, vigorously shaking his head and watching Rocky like a hawk. Typhon had just finished cleaning and dressing the wound. She turned to Andre. "He should awake soon. As near as I can tell, he lost consciousness from the loss of blood." She stroked Rocky's hair, saying again, "Poor thing."  
  
Nack shook his head in disbelief. This girl acted as though she really liked Rocky. Well, she'll probably have a different opinion when he does wake up, he thought, chuckling to himself.  
  
Typhon looked up suddenly, panic written in her eyes. "I must go," she announced.  
  
"What's wrong?" Nova asked.  
  
"My grandmother is calling . . . I must go," Typhon repeated, standing up.  
  
"I didn't hear nothin'," Nack observed.  
  
"Only I can hear her . . . It's telepathic," Typhon explained. "I will try to keep watch on you outsiders. I hope you will all get back to your land safely."  
  
Before any of them could ask how she knew they were outsiders, Typhon had muttered an illegible spell and was gone, leaving a cloud of pink smoke behind.  
  
"Well, that was weird," Nic spoke up for the first time. Not looking at Nack at all, it was obvious that she was speaking only to her friend Nova.  
  
"This whole place is weird," Nova returned.  
  
"Oh man . . . That dragon is gonna pay. . . ."  
  
Everyone whirled when they heard the soft but angry Brooklyn voice. "Rocky!" Andre exclaimed, embracing his friend.  
  
Rocky let him hang on for a short minute, then shied away, muttering, "Let's not get all mushy now." He wobbled to his feet.  
  
"Rocky, do you think you should?" Andre asked, his pink eyes growing round.  
  
"Yeah, you passed out there, cousin," Nack chimed in, saying the word with the same amount of sarcasm that Rocky usually did.  
  
"Oh really? And I don't suppose you want to try it too, do you, cousin?" Rocky returned. His injury hadn't stilled his nastiness. But Nack thought he caught a trace of embarrassment written in his cousin's eyes. He motioned to Andre. "Come on, Andre, we're getting outta this mousetrap!" Andre opened his mouth to protest, but Rocky cut him off. "I'm sick of it!"  
  
"You're awfully determined to get out of here," Nic said.  
  
"Who wouldn't be?" Rocky growled, his moptop of hair falling over his left eye. "I've been here less than two hours, so far, I've been trampled, toppled, nearly turned into a dragon snack, and went down for the count! I'm getting outta here, sister, and neither you or anyone else can stop me!!"  
  
"I'm your cousin," Nic replied, making a joke.  
  
Rocky muttered something unintelligible and headed off, with Andre scrambling to catch up. "Sorry," the long-haired mechanic apologized to the remaining weasels. "Rocky hasn't been in a very good mood all day."  
  
"Is he ever?" Nova replied.  
  
They watched Rocky stumble and Andre hurry to steady him. They disappeared into the darkness.  
  
Nack turned to the girls. "What're you two gonna do now?"  
  
Nova sighed. "I don't know. Truthfully, I want to get out of here as much as Rocky did. But I don't suppose there's a whole heck of a lot we can do tonight." She paused. "It seems to me like we should all stick together now that we've found one another . . ."  
  
Nack wanted to disagree, being the fiercely independent guy he is, but he knew that Nova had a point.  
  
Before he could say anything, however, Nic blurted out, "No way am I hanging around with *him* for heaven knows how long!"  
  
"Look, Nic, I ain't exactly jumping for joy at the thought myself, but . . ."  
  
"But what?" Nic interrupted. "I don't need a man's help to get out of this! Especially not your help!" She stormed off into the darkness.  
  
"I don't know what's got into her," Nova exclaimed to Nack. "I knew you guys were always at each other's throats, but I didn't realize it was quite this bad."  
  
Nack sighed. "Sometimes it is," he replied, not elaborating.  
  
Nova smiled sadly. "I'd better go after her," she said, patting Nack on the shoulder. "You take care of yourself."  
  
Nack grinned. "Oh, I will. We'll probably meet up again before we ever get out of this."  
  
And with that, Nova and Nack went their separate ways, each to have strange and crazy misadventures in this new land of Moghur.  
****  
Far and yet nearby, an old woman stirred something in a kettle on an old-fashioned stove and hummed to herself.  
  
"Well, what have we here?" she said suddenly, brushing her long white hair out of her eyes and looking out the window. Nack was just emerging from the darkness into the light of the cottage, and he glanced about furtively. "Hello!" she called.  
  
Nack looked up.  
  
"You look exhausted," the old woman said kindly. "Would you perhaps like something to eat?"  
  
Nack grinned. "Sounds good to me."  
  
He walked in through the door, which was open.  
  
"My name is Aggrippina," the woman announced.  
  
"Nack," the weasel replied. "I'm new around these parts."  
  
"Oh really? I've been around for a while now, and I can tell you anything you need to know," Aggrippina said, spooning out a soup into a bowl and handing it to Nack. "Here, dearie, eat this. I have to go check on something I left smoking in the back."  
  
Aggrippina dashed out the door and lifted the lid on a pot of something nondescript and sighed. "Not near finished yet. Not until the octopus leaps into the air." She heard a loud shriek coming from inside. "Oh dear," she announced to the sunrise. "I do believe young Nack has just met his end."  
  
Replacing the lid on the pot she went inside. Nack was lying prostrate on the floor, his eyes half-open but clearly unfocused, his Stetson hat several feet away. The empty soup bowl was on the floor next to him.  
  
"Ahh, poor Nack," Aggrippina said, not sounding overly full of pity. She casually bent down next to him and listened for the sound of breathing, but there was nothing. She stood up, smiling wickedly. "One down, four to go," she said, and with a snap of her fingers, she had vanished.  
  
When she was gone, Nack blinked, then sat up, grabbing his hat and plopping it on his head. "You couldn't fool me," he said low. "Aggrippina . . . what a giveaway!"  
  
When Aggrippina had left to check on the octopus, Nack had dumped the soup out the window, figuring out that it had been poisoned. He had then proceeded to yelp and collapse to the floor, playing dead. Holding his breath had been the most difficult part of the task; he was relieved that Aggrippina hadn't stuck around for a more thorough investigation.  
  
He heard a gasp and looked around. "Typhon!" he declared. The apprentice sorceress was standing in the doorway staring at him.  
  
"I thought you were dead," she exclaimed. "I thought that devil-woman had poisoned you!"  
  
"Well, she sure as heck tried," Nack said. "You know her?"  
  
"Aggrippina has been in our land of Moghur for some time now," Typhon responded. "A little over a month now, I believe." She shook her head. "I have never been fond of her. She practices the Dark Arts often—I have seen her."  
  
"I know her," Nack replied grimly, "and her name ain't Aggrippina. But you're right about the Dark Arts—she does a lot with them. Tell me, missy, do you know why she came here to, er, Moghur?"  
  
Typhon shook her head. "I do believe she is looking for some old enchanted relics, but I cannot know for certain."  
  
"She's probably going after the others . . ." Nack smacked his fist into his other hand's palm.  
  
"We must warn them," Typhon declared.  
  
"And just how are we gonna do that?" Nack asked. "They could be anywhere!" He made his voice sound as unemotional as possible. After all, he didn't particularly want it known that he had a heart.  
  
A beautiful white Pegasus unicorn landed down gracefully on the ground and trotted over to Typhon, who stroked her. "This is Laidly," she told Nack. "She's a Kioli."  
  
"Oh, uh, nice," Nack said, who wasn't quite sure what to say.  
  
"The Kioli are the very rare flying unicorns," Typhon explained. "They live mostly here in Moghur, but a few have ventured out further."  
  
Laidly looked at Nack curiously and flicked her ear.  
  
"Come," Typhon went on, "she will take us to the others."  
  
She climbed on Laidly and motioned for Nack to join her. He paused, shrugged, then also hoisted himself up. Laidly spread her beautiful white wings and was airborne. Nack gasped as they picked up speed and grabbed a chunk of Laidly's mane and hung on for dear life. Laidly sensed his discomfort and slowed down . . . slightly. Nack looked out over the strange, yet hauntingly beautiful Moghur.  
  
"Moghur has remained virtually unchanged for the past centuries," Typhon said knowingly. "It seems that every few years or so, a new Dark Evil rises."  
  
"Tell me somethin'," Nack began. "The odd events happening around the world . . . are they the work of the new Dark Evil?"  
  
Typhon nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, we do not know who has stirred the evil this time. We do know that they are using Geates' enchanted talisman, a very dangerous object in the wrong hands." A huge explosion suddenly tore through the air, and Laidly whinnied loudly.  
  
"What the heck was that?" Nack gasped.  
  
"Just what I was afraid of!" Typhon responded, her youthful violet eyes filled with fear. "It's starting . . . the chaos, the destruction! Moghur is being torn apart!"  
  
And literally, it was true. The ground split in half. A nearby mountain turned into a volcano, spewing lava over the meadows.  
  
"After the talisman destroys Moghur, it will continue to wreak havoc over the entire world, until it is all under the control of the Dark Evil!" Typhon exclaimed.  
  
"How in the heck do we stop it?" Nack gasped.  
  
"There is only one way," she said. "And that is to find and confront the current user of the Dark Evil."  
****  
As they pressed further into the crumbling Moghur, the disasters only seemed to worsen. Nack saw houses fly past, torn from their foundations.  
  
"Grandmother!" Typhon cried. "That was my grandmother's house!"  
  
"Can't your grandmother just use her magic to get away?" Nack gasped.  
  
Typhon shook her head sadly. "Our magic doesn't work against the Dark Evil. Only one thing is able to counteract an attack of it."  
  
"Oh yeah? And what's that?"  
  
"An act of pure unselfishness, nobleness, and love," Typhon said softly, as Laidly inched her way toward the ground, having spotted Nova and Nic down below.  
  
Nack grinned in spite of the desperate situation. "Well, then, it sure as heck won't be me who gets us out of here."  
  
Typhon gave him a look that said, I know better.  
  
Laidly made a soft landing and Nova looked up. "Nack!" she exclaimed. "What's happening?"  
  
"Something's destroying everything," Nack replied grimly. He looked at Nic, who stared back icily. Oh brother, he thought.  
  
"Well, how do we stop it?" Nova burst out. "I don't wanna go up in flames, and I don't intend to!"  
  
"You must go to the Dark Chambers of Geates," Typhon announced. "Deep in the heart of the cavern yonder. There you will encounter the current user of the Dark Evil."  
  
"Aren't you comin' with us?" Nack asked.  
  
Typhon shook her head and smiled sadly. "No. You do not need my help to accomplish this. Farewell, brave ones!" And suddenly she had vanished.  
  
"Would someone stop and tell me what's going on around here?" Nic demanded, obviously upset.  
  
"Are you kidding?" Nack burst out. "This place is falling down around us and you wanna take time out for detailed explanations?"  
  
"He's right, you know," Nova spoke up. "I, for one, am not ready to die!"  
  
Nic glared at her friend for saying Nack was right. "Alright, then, explain as we go along," she said stubbornly.  
  
"That volcanic lava is heading right this way!" Nova announced.  
  
"There's only one thing to do—head for the cavern there on the mountain—NOW!!" Nack grabbed an unwilling Nic and pulled her along with him. Nova took the lead, with Laidly galloping beside them, her large, beautiful wings spread out, ready to take to the skies with all three weasels on board, if it became necessary.  
  
The lava swooshed past, covering everything in its path, barely missing the weasels and the Kioli.  
  
"The cavern's too far off!" Nova gasped, as an earthquake rumbled through, sending the lava ever closer. "We're never gonna make it in time!"  
  
"There's only one more thing to do then," Nack said. Laidly, knowing it was time, bowed low to the ground. "Everyone climb on!"  
  
"Are you crazy?" Nic cried.  
  
"Honey, you'd be crazy not to, if you don't wanna be toasted!" Nova grabbed Nic's wrist and pulled her to the waiting Laidly.  
  
Nic's eyes went rather dreamy as she swung her legs over the Kioli's back. "I always did want to ride a unicorn. But I always thought they were mythical critters that didn't really exist."  
  
In her mind, Nova decided that Nic initially refused because it had been Nack's idea, and she shook her head sadly.  
  
With all three weasel securely in place, Laidly rose, slowly at first, then faster and faster. Nic and Nova both seemed awestruck. Some girl thing, Nack decided. He was deeply concerned of what would be found when they reached the cavern. And would "Aggrippina" be involved? Somehow Nack was sure the answer was yes.  
****  
Laidly soared over the mountain and circled it several times, then made a smooth landing about halfway up from a foreboding opening.  
  
"That must be Geates' Dark Chambers," Nova muttered.  
  
"So, do you believe me now?" Nack asked, giving her a sideways glance.  
  
Nova flushed. "Believing that nonsense seems to be the most logical thing to do," she said.  
  
Nic didn't answer. Nack looked upset but didn't push it.  
  
"Hey!" A familiar Brooklyn voice called.  
  
The others whirled to find Rocky and Andre not far from them.  
  
"How did you guys get here?" Nova asked, thinking of Rocky's injuries.  
  
"None of your business," Rocky growled, while Andre at the same time said, "We climbed." Rocky glared at him, but didn't smack him. Nack had noticed that Rocky had been treating his mechanic better since the incident a couple of months back.  
  
The earthquake shook the mountain fiercely. Rocky held on tight to the edge of the rock while Andre looked terrified.  
  
"Look, can you climb up here?" Nova asked, throwing her rope down to them.  
  
Andre looked at her gratefully. "Rocky, you go first," he urged.  
  
Rocky shook his head. "No, kid, you go."  
  
"But Rocky . . ."  
  
"Don't protest!" Rocky snapped. "Just do it!" He handed the rope to Andre, who took it reluctantly. Slowly he climbed up to where the others were, then looked down at Rocky, who gingerly made his ascent. Several times he growled in pain, but eventually the battered weasel made it up. Andre was considerably relieved.  
  
Nack noticed Nic was standing in front of an opening in the stone. "What's that?" he asked.  
  
Nic shrugged, stepping out of the way. "See for yourself."  
  
Nack looked. A staircase had been carved out of the stone, leading presumably into the Dark Chambers.  
  
"Well, what're we waitin' for?" Nova's eyes had narrowed determinedly. "Let's go!"  
  
"Are you comin' with us?" Nack asked Rocky, who glared. Clearly he didn't like the prospect of being with his cousin.  
  
"Whoever's doin' this is gonna pay," was all he said, which Nack interpreted to mean "yes."  
  
"Well, come on, then!" Nova snapped. "We don't have much time!"  
  
The five weasels dashed up the staircase. Laidly watched them go, then turned to the little man who'd just appeared. He watched the weasels' departure as well, then said softly, "Now is the final test. Will they make it out alive or not? The answer to that question determines the future of the world as we know it."  
  
The little man Nack knew as Azhi Dahaka stroked Laidly's mane, and they both vanished into thin air.  
****  
As the weasels advanced deeper into the cavern, they found themselves hearing a strange and unsettling foreign dialect coming from somewhere. Skeletons of past visitors lay grinning eerily from the corners. Andre cringed, twisting the edge of his jacket and trying to resist the urge to leap into someone's arms in fright. "You do realize we might not ever come out of here, right?" he gulped.  
  
"We'll get out," Rocky rumbled.  
  
"Those guys didn't," Andre said in a near-whisper.  
  
"Well, we ain't 'those' guys!" Rocky snapped. "We're a heck of a lot better than them any day!"  
  
As they went deeper, they noticed that things were also getting darker. A sick cold was enveloping them.  
  
"What's happening?" Andre gasped, clutching Rocky's arm.  
  
"It's the Dark Evil," Nack replied grimly, tightening his grip on his gun, though he knew it wouldn't likely do any good.  
  
Suddenly a bolt of lightening illuminated things. The weasels found themselves looking up at a platform high above them, where a sinister creature was laughing manically.  
  
"Ahhh, welcome, fine young ones," she said. "Welcome to your DEATHS!"  
  
Rocky's left eye went wide. "YOU!!" he gasped.  
  
**End of Part Two** 


	3. Part Three: The Quest

**Part Three**  
The Quest  
  
  
Nack didn't look too terribly surprised, but he *was* angry. Nic and Rocky were both. Nova and Andre just looked confused.  
  
"I see my poison didn't work," the dark figure observed, staring Nack down.  
  
"You were too obvious," Nack shot back. "'Aggrippina'? Come on, Lucretia, that was a dead giveaway! In Roman history Aggrippina was notorious for the poisoning of—"  
  
"Yes, yes, I realize it was foolish!" Nack's aunt Lucretia interrupted, her emerald eyes narrowing. "But I didn't realize you were so up-to-date on your history, young nephew."  
  
Nova was staring at Nack agape. "She tried to *poison* you??"  
  
Before Nack could answer, Lucretia answered for him. "I certainly did! But, oh well. I will succeed someday . . . and that someday will be very soon! I have Geates' talisman!" She held out the object of destruction. It glistened with another bolt of lightning. It suddenly dawned on Nic that the bolts were flashing continuously.  
  
No one was paying much attention to Rocky, who was boiling over with anger as he watched Lucretia descend the stone steps leading down from her platform.  
  
"YOU!!" he yelled. "You sicced that troll on me, and the dragon, didn't you??!"  
  
Lucretia shrugged. "All in a world's rule, dear nephew."  
  
"I shoulda known," Rocky growled. "All my life you've been torturing me!! Why should you stop after I left??"  
  
Andre's mouth was hanging open. He had never seen Rocky this angry before.  
  
"You are too excitable," Lucretia said blandly. "You always were."  
  
Rocky moved up next to Lucretia. "You used me in your magic experiments!" he accused. "And they always went wrong!"  
  
Suddenly, without warning, Rocky yanked his eyepatch, his ever-present, don't-you-touch-this-if-you-know-what's-good-for-you eyepatch off his right eye . . . or what was left of it. His eye was closed; ugly red scars crisscrossed over the lid and around it. Nack winced at the sight. He heard Andre gasp.  
  
"You did this to me!" Rocky hissed.  
  
"Insolent nephew," Lucretia replied. "Where would you have been if I hadn't taken you in when Zorba abandoned you?"  
  
"A lot better off, I know that much!" Rocky snarled. "I nearly got killed when your experiment went awry! As it was, I had to have emergency surgery and I lost my right eye!"  
  
"Rocky, I had no idea!" Andre exclaimed.  
  
"That's because I never told you!" Rocky said distractedly.  
  
"Yes, well, I can't very well have you in the way now, can I?" Lucretia looked as though she hadn't a trace of remorse for what happened years ago (which she hadn't). "Not while I take over the world!"  
  
She snapped her gingers and a horrible beat appeared.  
  
"When I give him the word, my Basilisk will destroy you," she said with glee. "They kill with one glance, you know. Boris! My one-eyed nephew!" she commanded.  
  
The Basilisk charged.  
  
"NO!"  
  
Andre leaped in front of Rocky to protect him. The Basilisk glared at the tender-hearted mechanic instead, and with a moan, Andre slumped back into Rocky's arms. The Basilisk, anxious to return to its slumber, vanished, satisfied that it had done its job.  
  
Rocky looked at the younger weasel's body in disbelief. "Andre . . . speak to me, kid!" His left eye filled with tears. "He's dead," he said, not wanting to believe it. "He died to rescue me."  
  
Nack, Nic, and Nova all removed their hats respectfully.  
  
"How touching," Lucretia said, unimpressed.  
  
Rocky looked at his wicked aunt, fire in his eye. "You . . . you . . . WITCH!! You killed him! You murdered Andre!"  
  
He gave Andre's body to Nova and charged at Lucretia, who responded by piercing him with electricity. It struck across his left eye, which he closed just in time to avoid loosing it as well. A lightning-like scar appeared over and under it and Rocky yelped in pain. Another bolt of energy caught him right in the chest where the troll had clawed him, and he collapsed to the stone floor, writhing in agony. Nova laid Andre's body on the floor and went to assist the still-living Rocky.  
  
Lucretia turned to Nic and Nack and smiled wickedly.  
  
"And what's in store for us?" Nack asked defiantly.  
  
"I'm glad you asked!" Lucretia snapped her fingers again, and suddenly Nova and Nic were bound, Lucretia was back on the platform, and Nack was at the foot of the stone steps. "I still must dispose of the others, but as for you, Nack, you who've brought me such humiliation, I know how much you want the Chaos Emeralds!" Holograms of the Emeralds appeared in the air. "They can all be yours, Nack, if you do not interfere with my plans." Nack headed up the steps without a word.  
  
"Yeah, Nack, go right ahead!" Nic yelled. "That's what you've always wanted—the Emeralds! I can read you like a book! You're a greedy, selfish pig! And you were always Mama's favorite!"  
  
Nack reached the top, Nic's words piercing him more deeply than any electricity or Basilisk's stare. "Are you outta your skull?" he yelled at Lucretia, outraged at what she'd offered. "I ain't bargaining Nic's, or Nova's, or even old Rocky's life for those ROCKS!! What kind jerk do you think I am?!" He lowered his head sadly. "Don't answer that. Apparently the same kind Nic does."  
  
Below, Nic gasped. She had been wrong, so wrong!  
  
Lucretia shrugged. "Whatever." She held the talisman in her hands and raised them, ready to unleash the final blows and get the world under her control.  
  
"You'll never get away with this while I'm alive!" Without warning, Nack charged at Lucretia, who shrieked. The attack had come too fast for her to use the binding spell she had lashed out on the girls.  
  
Nic watched, stymied, as the talisman began to shatter into millions of pieces, each sliver seeming to make evil Lucretia scream more than the previous one. Loosing control of her magic, she shot high-voltage electricity out in every direction. When the final shard had flown through the air, Lucretia vanished with another shrill yell and an, "I'll be back!! You will see!"  
  
The shackles binding Nic and Nova burst apart. Rocky's gasping lessened and he settled down, the pain leaving him.  
  
Nack, however, wasn't so lucky. Fatally injured, he toppled backward off the platform. Nic rushed to catch him, and seconds later, his lifeless body fell into her arms, and she staggered back.  
  
"Nic, is he . . .?" Nova started to ask, horrified, then couldn't finish.  
  
Nic looked at her brother and smoothed his soft lavender hair back. There was a cut on his forehead, courtesy of the broken talisman. His head fell back and his arms, legs, and long tail hung limp. Nic listened frantically for breath. There was none. He was gone.  
  
She nodded, stricken. "He is. Oh, Nova, he's . . . he's . . . dead!! He died so we wouldn't be killed! He laid down his life for us, and he died knowing that I thought he was selfish and awful . . . Nova, how am I ever gonna live with myself?!"  
  
Knowing this was no time for a lecture, Nova said softly, "He knows, Nic. He knows how bad you feel now. And . . . I think . . . No, I know—he would forgive you."  
  
Nic buried her face in Nack's soft fur and wept—for her dead brother, for lost time, for her blindness.  
  
They remained mostly silent for some time, the only sounds being Nic's sobbing and Rocky's muttered words as he held his dead mechanic, his adopted brother Andre.  
  
It seemed like an eternity to Nic as she stayed with Nack's still form. Then suddenly, without warning, the words of a song came to her. She didn't know where they had came from, but there they were.  
  
I will remember you  
Will you remember me?  
Don't let your life pass you by;  
Weep not for the memories  
  
That only made her cry harder. "Oh Nack," she whispered.  
  
Six or seven years ago, when that song had first come out, she and Nack had been in a cafe when the jukebox had started playing that song. Nack had paused to listen, then had softly echoed, "Weep not for the memories" in a sad tone of voice. Something about the song had got to him. Nic knew the words were what he would tell her now, if he could.  
  
"I'll remember you, Nic," he would say. "But will you remember me?" He would pause, then, "Live your life, Nic. Don't stop 'cause I'm gone. Don't bawl for the memories, Nic, or because of them. I'll be around . . . like Mama." Then he would tip his hat to her and be gone.  
  
Nic looked around for Nack's beloved Stetson, which had gone in a different direction than Nack had. Nova, who had found it, handed it to her silently, and Nic gently laid it on Nack's head.  
  
He would be buried with it, of course. Mama had given it to him, Nic reflected. She gave mine to me, too. Nack could never be separated from that hat in life, and Nic would make sure he wasn't in death.  
  
"Dang, Nova, why did I ever think those awful things about him?" she burst out.  
  
"People, even siblings, can't always see someone for who he really is," Nova responded quietly. "And heaven knows Nack was clever at hiding the real him from the world." She and Nic both started, realized that Nova had spoken of him in the past tense.  
  
"But Mama could see through the facade," Nic protested. "I'm his sister! Why couldn't I, Nova? Why couldn't I??"  
  
Nova had no answer for that. She stayed by Nic sympathetically, ready to listen and continue to try to offer comfort.  
  
Throughout all of this, Rocky had been mostly silent, except for his incoherent mutterings about Andre. Nova wasn't sure if he even realized Nack was dead, or even if that would mean anything to him. The hard feelings between Nack and his battle-scared cousin had been even more fierce and intense than the ones between Nack and Nic had been.  
  
"Nova," Nic said, her voice tortured, "I'm gonna miss that rascal. Heaven help me, I'm gonna miss him so much!"  
  
"I know, Nic, I know," Nova said soothingly. "I'll miss him too." She ran a hand through Nack's silky fur. Indeed, she would miss that rogue, very deeply. She had grown quite fond of him over the last few months (which was why she had let him see the Mirror of Fafnir in the first place), and quite frankly, she couldn't imagine this cruel, cold world without him. His daredevil feats, his sweet demeanor (once one got past all the rough-and-tumble attitude, of course), his impish grin. . . . That grin, complete with his shiny fang, was probably the single most recognizable trait of Nack, a.k.a "Fang the Sniper," the notorious bounty hunter from Texas.  
****  
"The world has returned to normal."  
  
Nic, Nova, and even Rocky looked up at the sound of the new voice.  
  
An old man stood in the doorway, his long purple robes billowing around him. His lengthy white beard came to halfway down his chest, and a tall, pointed wizard's hat adorned his head. Moons and stars paraded across it.  
  
"Who in the heck are you?" Nic snapped, echoing one of Nack's old favorite expressions. As she spoke, she held her brother's body closer to her protectively.  
  
The man smiled slightly. "I am Merlin," he announced.  
  
That statement brought "What the . . ." and "yeah, right" looks from the three live weasels.  
  
"I know it might seem hard to believe . . ."  
  
"That's the understatement!" Nic muttered.  
  
". . . But nevertheless, it is a fact." Merlin smiled kindly. "Your brother has, at long last, destroyed Geates' enchanted talisman," he said to Nic. "He demonstrated true unselfishness and nobility."  
  
"You got that right," Nic said, trying to hold back another flood of tears.  
  
"So did Andre," Rocky shot back.  
  
Merlin nodded. "Yes. Yes. So did Andre," he agreed.  
  
"And now both of them are dead!" Nic cried. "DEAD!"  
  
Merlin held up his hand. "It would appear so, yes."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Nic said angrily, supposing that Merlin was playing games with her. "Nack's dead! He's not breathing, and there's no pulse! He's DEAD!!"  
  
Merlin knelt down next to Nic and her lifeless brother. "Normally, he—and Andre—would be dead. Indeed, if they had been out for themselves, they would be most certainly. But—" Here he paused. "Because Nack—and Andre—were willing to sacrifice themselves for you all . . ." Andre's ear suddenly gave a twitch and Rocky gawked in utter disbelief. ". . . Their lives were spared," Merlin finished quietly.  
  
Andre's eyes opened and he looked up at Rocky wonderingly.  
  
"Oh, man, kid, you scared me!" the battered weasel declared.  
  
Andre smiled weakly, relieved that Rocky was safe.  
  
"But what about Nack?" Nic wailed. She was glad Andre was alive, of course, but what about her poor brother? . . .  
  
Merlin smiled gently. "He will awaken as well, young Nicolette." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "He did well. You will all be returned to America shortly." And then the magician had vanished.  
  
"Come on, Nack," Nic whispered, touching her brother's cheek. "If you're really alive, wake up! Speak to me!!" Nack remained motionless however, and Nic's tears fell again.  
  
"He was right about Andre, honey," Nova said softly. "He could still be right about Nack."  
  
"Then why doesn't he wake up?" Nic wailed.  
  
Gently, Nova lifted Nack's right wrist. "Nic, I'm getting a pulse!"  
  
Nic gasped. "Nack?" she whispered, afraid to believe. "Oh, please, wake up, Nack!" She paused. "Dang it, I love you, brother! I love you!! I'm not ready to let you go yet!!"  
  
Nack moaned softly. Then he shuddered, his sapphire blue eyes fluttering open.  
  
Nic's own eyes' tears spilled over again, but this time they were tears of joy. "Nack! Oh, Nack! Can you ever forgive me? I was so . . . so awful! So blind!"  
  
Nack grinned that impish grin, and Nova smiled as well. "It's okay, Nic. I've never been exactly open."  
  
Nic shook her head. "It's not okay, Nack. Some people have been able to see through your facade. I can't, and I'm your own sister! That tells me there's something definitely wrong somewhere!" She pulled her brother into a hug. "Oh, Nack, I thought you were dead!!"  
  
Nack grimaced at the thought. "Actually, I nearly was."  
  
Nova patted his shoulder. "Welcome back, Nack. You did quite a noble thing there."  
  
"The whole darn place would be under the aunt from Hades' rule if he hadn't intercepted," Rocky could be heard to mutter. Nack noticed his eyepatch was back on.  
  
Nack just grinned again and said with a wink, "Yeah, well, just don't let this leak out to the press."  
****  
A week passed. Nack was back in his hotel room, reflecting. So much had happened since he had been here last.  
  
After he and Andre had revived, they had all left the cavern and discovered Moghur was back to its previously beautiful state. Typhon had met them and with shining eyes introduced them to her grandmother and invited them for dinner. Afterward they had stepped through the mirror in the good sorceresses' dining room, back into San Francisco. Nic and Nova had dismantled the Mirror of Fafnir and had told their employer that it was undeliverable (which, technically, was true).  
  
"You have returned, I see."  
  
Nack whirled. The voice sounded like a toned-down version of Azhi Dahaka's, but when he saw who was standing there, it was definitely not a gnome.  
  
"What the . . ."  
  
"I am Merlin." The magician smiled.  
  
Nack stepped back. "You don't mean . . ."  
  
"Yes I am *that* Merlin. But you, young Nack, will know me better as 'Azhi Dahaka.'"  
  
Nack gave the famed wizard an odd look. "Why?"  
  
"I had to come in disguise, young Nack. I didn't want you to have any false notions that I was bewitching you in any way." His eyes twinkled. "What better guise than that of the mischievous gnome?"  
  
Nack plopped down on the couch. He was quite bowled over, understandably so.  
  
"I was not responsible for anything except an attempt or two to convince you to accept the Quest," Merlin said softly. "You did the rest." He smiled. "As I told you as 'Azhi,' you are much more unselfish and noble than even you know." He paused. "Farewell for now, young Nack. But we may meet again someday."  
  
And, as mysteriously, as he'd appeared, Merlin had gone.  
  
Nack checked to make sure he was alone, then uttered an exclamation that described his current feelings perfectly.  
"Good grief."  
  
~The end~ 


End file.
